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Mayor's Executive Team

Sandré R. Swanson, Deputy MayorAs Deputy Mayor, Sandré Swanson serves as a senior policy advisor to the Mayor and works closely with her on growing and developing small business and jobs in Oakland. He also works specifically on career opportunities for Oakland’s youth. He previously served as a Member of the California State Assembly, representing Oakland, Piedmont, and Alameda for three terms. He was the Chair of the Assembly Labor & Employment Committee; a member of the Assembly Budget Committee, Sub-committee on Education Finance and the Assembly Committee on Utilities and Commerce. He was Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on the Status of Boys and Men of Color and was the Speaker’s Appointee to the State Workforce Investment Board. During his tenure in the Assembly he passed landmark legislation dealing with the atrocities of Human Trafficking, which he calls “modern day slavery”. His legislative work assisted with the development of programs for job training, housing and counseling for the victims of Human Trafficking, some as young as 12 years old. Before his election to the California State Assembly, he served 5 years as Congresswoman Barbara Lee’s Chief of Staff; after working for 25 years as the District Director and Senior Policy Advisor for former Congressman Ronald V. Dellums. He was Chair of the Alameda County Employee’s Retirement Association and a former Chair of the Oakland Civil Service Commission. In addition he served as Chair of the Oakland Re-Use and Redevelopment Authority that was responsible for redevelopment planning for the closed military bases in Oakland. In 1977 he served as the campaign manager for the historic election of Judge Lionel J. Wilson as the first African American mayor of Oakland. A native of Oakland, Deputy Mayor Swanson is married to wife, Anita. Together they have 4 children and 5 grandchildren. sswanson@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7413.

Richard Cowan, Chief of Staff

As Chief of Staff, Richard Cowan coordinates staff and oversees day-to-day operations. He serves as a senior policy advisor to the Mayor and works closely with the City Administrator, Agency Directors, City Council Members and City staff on the development and implementation of City policy. Prior to joining Jean's staff, Richard was the Executive Director of Legal Assistance for Seniors and before that, Conciliation Forums of Oakland. His current volunteer efforts include the Boards of Directors of the Oakland Ballet Company and of the Redwood Heights Neighborhood Association, both of which he was Past President. Richard holds a Master of Arts in Anthropology and a Masters of Public Health, as well as a Bachelors of Arts in Anthropology – all from the University of California at Berkeley. Richard has a grown daughter living in Hong Kong, and lives in Redwood Heights with his wife Kathy, where he is an avid gardener.

Reginald Lyles, Senior Policy Advisor for Public SafetyReginald Lyles serves as a liaison between the Oakland Police Department and the Mayor's office to partner together to make our neighborhoods safer. He is a North Oakland native who grew up in Oakland attending Santa Fe Elementary, Oakland Tech High School, and Merritt College. He attended San Francisco State and is completing a course of study at American Baptist Seminary of the West at the Graduate Theological Union at U.C. Berkeley. He served as an Officer, Sergeant and Lieutenant police officer in Berkeley for over twenty years and a Captain in Novato for ten years. He became the Executive Director for Piedmont Gardens and Grand Lake Gardens, senior housing residential facilities for the American Baptist Homes of the West for five years. He served as Senior Policy Analyst for Assemblymember Sandre Swanson 16th District for three years. He has worshipped at Allen Temple for more than forty years, serving as a Deacon, Deacon Chairman and Adult Sunday school Teacher. He is driven by his deep love for Oakland. rlyles@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-6291.

Hatzune Aguilar Sanchez, Community Services ManagerIn her role as Community Services Manager, Hatzune Aguilar Sanchez works on Boards and Commissions appointments for the Mayor, relations with the City Council, and a variety of projects that affect Oakland residents. She brings a wealth of experience in progressive public policy advocacy and community organizing. She has been a voting rights advocate on Lakota reservations in South Dakota, has worked as a family housing advocate in San Francisco's Tenderloin District, and has led nationwide advocacy campaigns on issues affecting the Latino/Hispanic and LGBTQ communities. Prior to working with the City of Oakland, she was a principal policy consultant and chief of staff at Jim Gonzales Associates, a strategy and public policy research firm based in Sacramento. She was the program coordinator for the Latino Policy Coalition; a principal for the Renewable Energy Accountability Project; and managed organizers throughout the country for the ADA/Working Families Win voter educational project. Hatzune also coordinated AFSCME/New House PAC trainings for Congressional candidates. A graduate of Mills College in Oakland with a BA in Political Legal and Economic Analysis, she currently resides in East Oakland with her husband, Arturo Sanchez. haguilar@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7072.

Carol Jones, Senior Policy Advisor and Special Assistant to the Deputy Mayor

Carol “CJ” Jones serves as senior policy advisor and special assistant to Deputy Mayor Sandré R. Swanson, coordinating and staffing his day-to-day operations of the city. She has years of management and administrative experience, working on constituent projects and services to benefit the people of the city of Oakland. Prior to joining the Mayor’s staff, she was District Director for Assemblymember Swanson for 6 years serving Oakland, Piedmont and Alameda. As District Director, Carol worked on and supervised staff work on important projects for at-risk youth, life services for seniors, financial literacy, affordable housing and foreclosure prevention, and job creation for the district by supporting small business growth. She also led the local effort in support of Youth and All-Ages Health Fairs that served hundreds of families in need. She previously worked as a Senior Research Assistant with the East Bay Conversion and Reinvestment Commission, and supported the Commission’s work on their Re-use publications, general planning and improving citizen participation for the Oakland army base reuse planning. Rounding out her experience, she was a small business owner for 14 years, operating the only African American business on Union Street in San Francisco, Union Street Travel. Born in San Francisco, she is the mother of two daughters, 5 grandchildren (1 deceased) and 1 great grandchild. cjones2@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-3450.

Michael Johnson, Special Assistant to the MayorMichael Johnson is an East Oakland native and grew up attending schools within the OUSD. After high school, he attended UC Riverside where he triple majored in: Sociology, Psychology, and Anthropology and minored in History. He returned to Oakland in 2006 and began a career providing Medical Case Management services to dual and triple-diagnosed, indigent populations living in the East Bay. After having provided direct client services and after having coordinated a department of social service providers for several years, he decided to work at the policy level in Oakland. He worked as a Policy Analyst from 2007-2009 for (then) Councilmember Quan in District Four. He spent two years: working with constituents, translating for monolingual Spanish speakers, staffing committees, and working on citywide and district-specific policy issues. He completed a Masters of Science program in Community and Regional Development at UC Davis in 2013 and returned to work with the Mayor shortly thereafter. Michael currently resides in Council District 6. mjohnson2@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-3990.

Ellen Dillard, Special Assistant to the Mayor - SchedulingEllen Dillard served as the Council Member’s assistant to the District 4 Office for 2 1/2 years and now serves as the Mayor’s scheduler. She graduated from Cal State Hayward and majored in Human Development. She is married and the mother of three. edillard@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-6514.

Maisha Everhart, Senior Policy Advisor for Intergovernmental AffairsMaisha Everhart is an Oakland native and graduate of Skyline High School. She serves as the liaison between the Mayor's office and other government agencies. She earned a BA in Political Science from Spelman College and Juris Doctorate from Rutgers School of Law. She served as the Northern California Director for Hillary Clinton's Presidential Campaign and as the Partnerships and Grants Director for Al Gore's nonprofit, the Alliance for Climate Protection. Most recently she worked as a Senior Consultant to Assemblymember Sandre Swanson. meverhart@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-4991.

Brett Badelle, Senior Policy Advisor for Public SafetyBrett Badelle is a native of Oakland who has demonstrated passion and commitment to public safety and community outreach. Brett was a student and intern of Youth Radio, where he received the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award for his coverage of human trafficking in Oakland. He graduated from Oakland Technical High School, attended Cal State East Bay, and has become a community activist organizing young people to get involved in civic life. He was a Senior Case Manager and Job Developer for the Men of Valor Academy, a re-entry, transitional housing, and in-patient drug treatment program in East Oakland. He serves on the Status of Boys and Men of Color Committee for Assembly District 18, and takes pride in leading by example and facilitating the change that our community needs.bbadelle@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7914.

Sharon Rose, Mentoring Initiative Coordinator

Sharon Rose is a Teacher of English to Speakers of other Languages (TESOL). She is a long-time activist on education issues in Oakland. She has taught at several Community Colleges and the Oakland Adult School. She is currently Coordinator of the Mayor’s Mentoring Initiative for Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, which is helping to recruit 2,000 mentors for Oakland youth. Ms. Rose received her M.A. in TESOL from St. Mary’s College. (510) 238-7157.

Sean Maher, Communications Director

Sean Maher built his career as a journalist at the Oakland Tribune, reporting on a host of local issues: public safety, social programs, local heroes, city policy, budget and policing issues, breaking news and investigations into how statewide and national stories affected the City and its residents and businesses. He covered City Hall during Mayor Quan’s first year in office. As her Communications Director he brings a deeply-held commitment to transparency and accountability in government, and a belief that good journalism plays a critical role in promoting and safeguarding those values. smaher@oaklandnet.com (510) 238-7439.